Curious Pursuit » Motivation

Olympic Lesson on Success

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:01:41 +0000

I was impressed by this recent article on American athlete’s success at Vancouver (from the Wall Street Journal of all places). A few things impressed me …

1. How little money was spent to target a “medals race” and yet how much success the team is having … particularly in events not usually dominated by American athletes.

2. How Bode Miller is crediting the ski team’s successful run with a more aggressive and exciting attitude toward their sport. He says … “the inspiration level is climbing. They see teammates on the podium and they want that, too. It’s not necessarily the result, but they want to be smiling, they want to ski inspired. You’re seeing a result you haven’t seen from the U.S. in a long time, or ever.”

3. The USOC (United States Olympic Committee) didn’t “over promise and under deliver”. The ATHLETES are delivering in a way that is exciting and fun for us to participate with. Thank goodness the USOC kept their mouths shut and let the athletes do the “talking”.

All of this inspires in a way that I think we all need right now.

It’s not ALL about the money … even though it’s an important part.

It’s MORE about passion and risk taking.

Shut up and DO the work.

Good things CAN happen.

And OFTEN do when approached the right way.

Will Curiosity Kill My Brain?

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:22:44 +0000

I was listening to a podcast recently that mentioned the number of books in the Library of Congress in relation to what we can actually take in. The numbers were a bit old and a bit off. As best as I can tell there are now over 30 million cataloged books … but over 140 million total items.

You would have to read well over 5,000 of those items every day for 70 years to consume it all. Insane. Reading one book every week (close to my current average) for 50 years (close to what’s left of my current life expectancy) would only get me through about 2,600 of those books.

It really begs the question of prioritizing activity and media choices. Is it worth trying to get through EVERYTHING I possibly can. I believe it makes more sense to really dig deep in a few areas that are of the most value. Happiness and fulfillment topping that list.

eMyth … Great Book.

admin — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:28:18 +0000

I read The E-Myth for the first time while I was in college. At the time it was merely a fascinating read that I tossed aside shortly after finishing. I recently have come across a few articles, videos and other media that have reminded me of the book and so I’ve picked it up again to take a look. This time I have the feeling that it can truly help me take my business to the next level … not mere intellectual massage.

If you haven’t read it … you really should. It actually has application across life, not just in business.

Curiouser and Curiouser

admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:57:31 +0000

To me, life is the ultimate “curious pursuit”. Curious in two ways … First, the activity and realities of life seem so ill suited the enjoyment of life at times. So it seems to me like a curious (or odd) puzzle where not all of the pieces seem to fit. Second, curiosity (or intense intellectual interest) has been to me the one way “through it”. Trying to build understanding so that I can move on and do better, be better.

I have to admit that the last few months have been difficult ones, I have felt the shock of the economy in my business and I’m still not exactly sure the way out. So how grateful was I for Tim Ferriss’s latest post where he linked to the video below. He calls it the Prescription for Self-Doubt … I would add “Self Pity” as well.

Lessons From Kruger National Park

admin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:47:11 +0000

I stumbled across this video today and thought it would make a good post in light of the current economic situation.

My business is having A LOT of trouble right now. We tend to see our fortune on any given day fall and rise with the sentiment on Wall Street. I had no idea the two would be so closely tied … but seemingly they are.

Anyway, I found the video below and had one thought after watching THE ENTIRE THING (you have to watch it all, no matter how badly you want to stop) … GATHER STRENGTH AND FIGHT!